The Center for Red Tide Tracking & Forecasting is a collaborative, multidisciplinary research effort is funded by the FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI) HAB program to expand the scale and scope of an integrated and comprehensive detection and prediction network for HABs in Florida’s marine and estuarine waters, enabling resource managers to assess the potential for public health damage and economic damage from a given bloom.
This project includes both field and laboratory-based components: 1) sampling conducted via shipboard surveys, 2) in situ observations collected by gliders and moorings, 3) satellite observations, and 4) culture-based experiments. These measurements help fill critical gaps in the ability to detect, respond to, and forecast K. brevis blooms and their impacts. The data is used to develop a coupled biological-physical model for improved hindcasting and forecasting of blooms.
Field samples were collected during routine shipboard surveys on the West Florida Shelf (WFS) for macronutrient and trace metal measurements by the OSU Elemental Ocean Lab.
Corresponding K. brevis cell abundances were provided by the FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWC-FWRI). Select bloom samples were processed for viral discovery by the USF-Marine Genomics Laboratory. Similar measurements were conducted on K. brevis cultures provided by FWC-FWRI in order to advance mechanistic understanding of K. brevis blooms. The data in this repository originates from USF researchers. FWC-FWRI measurements are available upon request from the HAB monitoring database and OSU data are publicly available from the West Florida Shelf – HAB Project collection.
Additional observations collected and data products provided over the course of this project include the following:
The USF Glider Team deploys autonomous underwater gliders on the West Florida Shelf with funding support from the State of Florida and the Gulf of America Coastal Ocean Observing System (GCOOS). Each glider is equipped with sensors for measuring conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD), chlorophyll-a and colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) fluorescence, and dissolved oxygen concentrations. A SUNA sensor was mounted on certain gliders for measuring nitrate concentrations. All glider data is publicly available through the GCOOS Gulf AUV Network and Data Archiving Long-term Storage Facility (GANDALF).
The USF Ocean Circulation Laboratory (OCL) maintains a series of moorings on the West Florida Shelf that provide near real-time observations of surface meteorology and water column physical properties, such as velocity, temperature and salinity. These are largely leveraged from external resources, e.g., Southeast Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association (SECOORA), that vary annually. Moored observations are provided through the Coastal Ocean Monitoring and Prediction System (COMPS) data server.
The USF-OCL also provides
- Short-term red tide trajectory forecast products
- Seasonal predictions of major red tides based on satellite altimetry data
The USF Optical Oceanography Laboratory provides near real-time satellite ocean color observations. The Integrated Red tide Information System (IRIS) integrates satellite remote sensing, numerical modeling, and water sample analysis to enhance bloom detection and monitoring capabilities. Financial support for IRIS was provided by the State of Florida, NASA, NOAA, ONR, and other agencies.
